Irish girl name
Ríona Name Meaning, Origin & Pronunciation
Ríona means queenly. From the Irish word rí, meaning queen, as a short form of Ríoghnach
Ríona is a graceful modern Irish name built on rí, the Irish word for king or queen. It is often treated as a shortened form of Ríoghnach, an older name with the same royal sense. The sound is soft and lyrical, with three gentle syllables, and the fada over the í is worth keeping to show the long vowel. Ríona sits comfortably beside other well-loved Irish girls' names such as Niamh, Aoife and Róisín, and it works equally well in Ireland and abroad because the spelling stays fairly easy to read.
Computer-generated voice, as a guide to pronunciation.
Variants of Ríona
RionaRíoghnachRionagh
Ríona popularity: Ireland vs the US
In 2025 Ríona ranked #162 in Ireland (29 babies) and #4,963 in the US (27 babies). It is far more popular in Ireland than in America.
Ireland (girls)United States (girls)
Rank among babies of the same sex, 1 = most popular (log scale). Ranks below #10,000 sit on the bottom edge. Gaps mean fewer than 3 Irish or 5 US babies that year.
Data: US Social Security Administration (public domain) and Central Statistics Office, Ireland (CC BY 4.0). Irish accented spellings (such as Síle) are only recorded from 2018, so earlier years combine spellings.
Frequently asked questions
What does the name Ríona mean?
Ríona means "queenly". From the Irish word rí, meaning queen, as a short form of Ríoghnach.
How do you pronounce Ríona?
Ríona is pronounced REE-uh-na.
What is the origin of Ríona?
Ríona is of Irish origin. From the Irish word rí, meaning queen, as a short form of Ríoghnach.